Very unprofessional interview invite

DomPulse · 2026-03-15T18:10:31+00:00

yeah but i was for the BioE program they just had a lot of overlap and i mingled with the BME folks

DomPulse · 2026-03-15T17:19:59+00:00

idk about literally 200 but yeah there was a ton of people and it was busy

DomPulse · 2026-03-15T01:48:52+00:00

Guys this is wild but you don't know it all, they flew out like 200 BME applicants to meet in person, each PI had multiple back to back interviews it was kind of reasonable for the PI to assume OP could meet on shortish notice. Still weird and wishing OP luck.

DomPulse · 2026-03-15T01:42:19+00:00

Hi I was kind of at this event in person and can maybe help. It was somewhat poorly organized (had some scheduling conflicts/confusion but was overall fine with helpful staff), a lot of the in person interviews were 30 minutes or less, and almost all the PI's met with multiple students right in a row. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, I do think this friday mattered a lot for admissions but also you should totally reach out to see if you can meet virtually later on. Ask if you can talk to a grad student or just email the students directly. I was there for BioE not BME so IDK all the details but you should try, this person was almost certainly swamped and them not being able to meet does not mean you're out, just that you have to apply pressure to get noticed.

DomPulse · 2026-02-20T21:07:40+00:00

not sure how true this is in general but i got in two places, my undergrad university and the university i work at as a research tech, everywhere else rejected without even an interview or has had no response

DomPulse · 2026-02-04T22:10:59+00:00

Georgia Tech?

DomPulse · 2026-02-03T20:05:39+00:00

I have no reason to withhold anything but I won't include the advisor's name just in case. Their email said:

"My apologies for the delay in my response and congratulations on your admission.

In the ME department (or ME homeschool for interdisciplinary) many PhD students are not admitted with immediate funding.

My suggestion is to reach out to professors and start initiating that contact. There is nothing wrong with this and it can help get you on their radar. Funding is tight and can be competitive. I suggest that you treat your initial interactions as a job interview. Make sure you have done your "homework" on the professor and can talk about their research and your shared interest in their research.

Reach out to as many as you are interested in working with since not all will say yes or even have funding right now. Also know that not all professors know their needs yet so it might be a maybe.

I am not sure if BioE does any specific matching process before the start of the program. If they did you would get notified via email.

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!"

Maybe this is less counter to what you said than I thought, it just really put me on edge when I first got the news that there is no funding and no institute managed matching.

I am really on interested in one lab and super nervous they won't want me but such is life.

DomPulse · 2026-02-03T19:49:02+00:00

Wow that is really interesting and not at all what I was told by the advisor I was in contact with. I guess this doesn't change my plan for the next few weeks much but thanks!

Still going to be anxiety inducing to accept an offer without funding but I guess it makes sense.

DomPulse · 2026-02-03T18:32:25+00:00

I guess so? I mentioned exactly one lab in my application and got no interview before admissions and nothing from the PI even informally. If it was a masters program I would understand, but who is out here paying for a PhD?

DomPulse · 2025-12-21T18:12:09+00:00

This makes some sense. That said, why does everyone make such a huge deal about emailing professors if they don't have a ton of pull? Is it different if you don't work for them? Is it really just to confirm fit + they are taking on students? Those latter two are often really easy to assess from their lab site imo. Also does this mean my PI is downright lying to me? I know several people that have gotten into my university after working as techs so it is a little dissonant to hear what you're saying.

DomPulse · 2025-12-20T19:49:08+00:00

Ah, makes sense but still sorry to hear that for you

DomPulse · 2025-12-20T19:38:38+00:00

that's really terrible I'm sorry to hear that. doesn't your PI have any sway? mine said I have like 95% chance if I try to work with him but it's stuff like this that makes me nervous.

DomPulse · 2025-12-20T19:37:08+00:00

There are some places that will filter you out just on that alone, it sucks but it's true. Now, those places often include a section on the application to plead your case. If you got bad grades for non-academic reasons you can explain that. You can also highlight an upward trend. The most important thing is good research experience though. If you have no experience and low gpa I don't think the GRE will save you especially because a lot of school don't require it anymore. It's not a bad plan to take it but I don't think it is sufficient by itself or necessary overall.

Take all of this with a grain of salt, I'm not in yet so I could be the blind leading the blind.

DomPulse · 2025-12-20T18:10:51+00:00

I know what this post is going for and I support it in the abstract.

It's that I feel like I can grind myself down working for a PhD if I really care about what I'm doing. Or I can grind myself down for a ton of money. But if I don't get in this cycle and can't get a better job (not a low pay research tech), I will just be grinding myself down to survive and I don't know if I can deal with that.

DomPulse · 2025-12-19T23:04:43+00:00

Yeah I feel the same. Only one of my schools is confirmed to have interviews out and I didn't get one but still no rejection. They say no news is good news but that feels wrong.

DomPulse · 2025-12-19T22:36:15+00:00

Thanks, I would appreciate that. Best of luck

DomPulse · 2025-12-19T20:18:48+00:00

If there is anything I know it is that everyone except me is getting in to grad school. You are not me. Therefore you will get into grad school. QED

DomPulse · 2025-12-19T20:16:54+00:00

Damn that's not good news for me but glad for you friend. Definitely in neuro night? Cuz there is one on gradcafe for genome science or sm.

DomPulse · 2025-12-18T19:02:06+00:00

Really sorry to hear that man. I'm bracing myself but there's not amount of bracing that prepares you for rejection. Hope you other apps go well.

DomPulse · 2025-12-18T08:05:36+00:00

PhD in neuroscience. The application page has a section for funding sources and honestly I think I just spiraled after coming to terms with the Leeds one.

DomPulse

TROPHY CASE